I am one of the six admins on MA. If there is some public info like a DOB that you'd like fixed, let me know. I think this is a little bit exaggerated. The only new blocks with the new version are city and DOB and as the person you emailed suggested, the mods/admins aren't tyrants.

You have to realize that 99.99 percent of info is contributed by users and we try our best to accommodate removal requests. Personally, I don't like the new birth date block but birth dates aren't exactly new...they were added before in notes section on the previous version if it was widely known. It was even more common in the event of a deceased musician.

Bottom line is, the site's administration isn't unreasonable. Just drop me a line.

You have to realize that 99.99 percent of info is contributed by users and we try our best to accommodate removal requests. Personally, I don't like the new birth date block but birth dates aren't exactly new...they were added before in notes section on the previous version if it was widely known. It was even more common in the event of a deceased musician.

Sorry, but this new feature makes it attractive to those "users" for "pointwhoring" by adding birthdate for every musician. Those birthdates who where public accessible before were those of really famous peoples (= means more or less public persons). This new tool is just a senseless feature which does more harm than good. You should really listen to the people who complain about this and show some more respect to those who create that what you listen and love.

Wraith, I didn't create the site or add the feature. As you may have read, I don't agree with the block. I can only make my input to remove it. So, for the time being, the best choice is to amend the info if someone doesn't wish to make it public.

Well, I'd agree with all that if this "private" information was somehow divined through esoteric means and put online for the first time, but the fact that it's here rather shows that it's already publicly available in some form. Our users can't just guess that stuff, so I'd assume in the vast majority of cases it's available to anyone with access to Google already and reposting it on MA won't change that.

Sorry, but this is crap. Of course reposting on MA changes this! Especially if that data is linked there with real names, birth dates, band names, city, aliases etc.: It's all collected on a site and not spreaded around various other sites. Even people who are not that active in the internet get a complete profile on MA agains their will.

BTW: I think it's really frustrating that there is obviously an urge to have a discussion about this issue with some people in these days, privacy seems to be something that got lost in the last century.

Wraith, I didn't create the site or add the feature. As you may have read, I don't agree with the block. I can only make my input to remove it. So, for the time being, the best choice is to amend the info if someone doesn't wish to make it public.

As I said, drop me a line.

Yes, I was not attacking you as an individual but if you're one of the six admins I think you are a person on this board which I can talk about this.

I don't have a personal issue right now with MA, but I think such tendencies should be scotched from the very start.

You have to realize that 99.99 percent of info is contributed by users and we try our best to accommodate removal requests. Personally, I don't like the new birth date block but birth dates aren't exactly new...they were added before in notes section on the previous version if it was widely known. It was even more common in the event of a deceased musician.

Sorry, but this new feature makes it attractive to those "users" for "pointwhoring" by adding birthdate for every musician. Those birthdates who where public accessible before were those of really famous peoples (= means more or less public persons). This new tool is just a senseless feature which does more harm than good. You should really listen to the people who complain about this and show some more respect to those who create that what you listen and love.

Agreed.

Only award points for meaningful submissions like an LP release or whatever and don't allow non-admins to edit the notes section or wherever these stupid trivia facts are popping up. The point system is so retarded in the first place, geared towards Aspies and people who have never been out of their basements.

It's embarrassing how OCD and neurotic a large majority of the people who listen to metal are. Easily the worst aspect of the genre that we love._________________

BECUZ OF METALARCHIVES I KNOW MUTIILATIONS BIRTHDAY OMG DID U KNOW HIS NAME IS WILLY

Difference between listing Dio's or (in the slightly less-dead bracket) Tony Iommi's birthdays is that they are legitimately public individuals. Some kid with a black metal project operating out of his basement doesn't quite meet that requirement.

Quote:

It's embarrassing how OCD and neurotic a large majority of the people who listen to metal are. Easily the worst aspect of the genre that we love.

Well, the more points you have, the more you're able to edit. It's basically a way of weeding out people who just want to fuck with data (randomly or with malicious intent) by forcing people to make a wealth of contributions, thereby ideally establishing their good faith contributions to making the resource better and more accurate, which in turn is rewarded with privileges of editing more sensitive information. I understand where you're coming from though, as I initially had a similar "why bother with points" reaction before I gave it some thought.

Difference between listing Dio's or (in the slightly less-dead bracket) Tony Iommi's birthdays is that they are legitimately public individuals. Some kid with a black metal project operating out of his basement doesn't quite meet that requirement.

Added to which, if ID theft does occur, it is very easy for public figures to reverse the damage (financial or otherwise) because of their profile. Whereas it is notoriously difficult for everybody else to reclaim their losses if a payment is taken out of their bank account.

If bands request to be anonymous it's respect to keep it so, some won't for one reason or another, but if the individual at least requests sensitive information is taken down, it's something that should be respected.

I don't prefer to use pseudonyms, but its become useful in these cases. A lot of times it isn't relevant. Even if you know the real names of some artists it doesn't matter. I remember seeing werewolf's name somewhere when i was expecting a package from him, but i never really gave it any thought until i noticed he prefers to keep himself anonymous. I don't see why i should care what others call him when he's at his day job.

To me it's more relevant with bands like DSO/Ghost etc, but that's more association. If they have pseudonyms in other bands that's good enough for me just to see what else they're involved it.

I don't know about identity theft, but the employability thing might be a problem sometimes, if you have an unusual name and a controversial band.

When I formed Angeldeath, I was in high school and loved Morbid Angel and H.P. Lovecraft, so I chose "Nyarlagthotetp" as my surname to represent the chaos and intelligence I wished to represent through Angeldeath's music, especially my guitar soloing style.

Now, however, I am somewhat happy I chose to keep that, because now that I am 25 and entering the professional field, I would like to not have to justify myself before some pretentious, up-tight suit who has the final say in whether I become employed or not, due simply to my involvement with a musical group which espouses anti-Christian and satanic principles.

It may not ever pose a problem, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Because you then become placed in double jeapardy, sort of: explaining myself and what Angeldeath is about would put me in a negative light, and then not explaining it would mean that I have something hidden and secretive which would make me look worse._________________ANGELDEATH - death metal --> for fans of Krisiun, Centurian, Defaced Creation, Morbid Angel, Vital Remains, Luciferion, Immortal, Necrophobic, Hate Eternal, Deicide, Diabolic, Rebaelliun, Throneaeon, Angelcorpse